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Emergency? Not yet

The Middle Eastern coronavirus that has killed 45 of the 84 people known to have caught it is not a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization has declared, although it acknowledges the need for close monitoring. Perhaps the WHO does not wish to repeat its perceived overreaction to the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

Huge ivory haul

Hong Kong customs announced last Friday that it had seized 2000 kilograms of elephant tusks worth &dollar;2.2 million. The haul, which was uncovered on a ship bound for China from Togo, is the largest since 2010. Most of the tusks came from baby elephants, officials say.

Dish on the moon

Two private companies have joined forces to land a telescope on the moon by 2016. Moon Express of Moffet Field, California, and the International Lunar Observatory Association intend to send a 2-metre radio dish to the lunar south pole. The telescope will be open to the public to operate via the internet.

Stem cell milestone

A trial of the first treatment using induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) – embryonic-like cells that can be derived from skin – has been given the go-ahead in Japan. It will involve turning IPSCs into retinal pigment epithelial cells in a bid to prevent vision loss from age-related macular degeneration.

Cash for 2D spacecraft

Twelve futuristic concepts have received &dollar;100,000 each from NASA. One is a paper-thin planetary lander built from flexible electronics that would simply flutter down from space. Another is a suspended animation chamber that would induce deep sleep states and lower astronauts’ metabolism – reducing the supplies needed for space travel.